Professional Traffic Ticket Representation: Defending Major Charges Including Distracted Driving, Failing to Move Over, and More

Question: What are the potential consequences of a major traffic offence in Ontario?

Answer:   Conviction of a major traffic offence can lead to significant fines, surcharges, and potential driver’s licence suspension due to demerit point accumulation.  Additionally, your insurance rates may dramatically increase for up to three years following the conviction.  This is where Global Traffic Ticket and Criminal Legal Services can provide invaluable support, offering a thorough evaluation of your circumstances and innovative defence strategies to mitigate these serious consequences.

Providing Strategic Defence Advocacy

Major charges individually, or in combination with minor charges or another major charge, may result in significantly increased insurance rates, and when in a combination with other charges, or past convictions, a possible licence suspension for accumulation of too many demerit points as well as significant fines.  Accordingly, a careful, professional, review of the various consequence scenarios as well as the facts and law applicable to a major charge is well deserved.

Protecting Against Significant Consequences

Upon conviction for a serious traffic offence, a driver is usually hit with substantial fines and surcharges, and the driver can also expect insurance rates to rise considerably for the following three years. A poor prior driving record may also lead to a potential licence suspension or additional penalties.

Factors Tending to Aggravate Penalties

The affects of conviction for a major driving offence can be significantly further aggravated:

• When a driver was previously convicted within the past three years on another charge;
• When a driver is on the cusp of having accumulated too many demerit points and this latest major charge now puts the driver at risk of a licence suspension, among other penalties; and
• When a driver is required to maintain a good driving record as a condition of employment.

Conclusion

Traffic tickets of the major charges type pose serious consequences involving substantial fines plus victim surcharges as well as demerit points that may be the straw that breaks the camel's back resulting in a license suspension.  Additionally, a major charge may result in substantially increased insurance rates including the potential for loss of access to standard insurance market and substitute placement into the highly priced Facility Association.

Accordingly, when charged with a major traffic ticket offence, hiring a professional who knows how to question witnesses, especially which questions to ask and which questions to avoid, and who knows the law, knows the paperwork processes and courtroom procedures, and knows how to make judicially persuasive arguments on the applicable legal principles, is highly important.